New (hopefully temporary) boating lake

During wet winters it is not unusual for Pool Green, the island cricket pitch and fete venue, to flood a little but the torrential, seemingly endless rain since Christmas has resulted in a full-blown lake this year.

The Green sits just below sea level at high tide but this giant puddle is fresh water. The rain percolates down through the island and just can't drain out to sea fast enough. Despite the impressive scale of the flooding it hasn’t caused too much disruption beyond remembering to put your wellies on for a trip to Adam's Fish and Chips and temporarily cutting off access to the path up Cardiac Hill - so named because of its steepness and the aerobic effort needed to reach the top.

The new Pool Green lake has actually been put to good use. It’s a great spot for some boating fun. At a time of year when the sea is often inhospitable for kayaking and paddleboarding, kids of all ages have been rowing around. There have even been attempts at diving and some enthusiastic fly-fishing casting practice.

As I write this, we've been enjoying a rare warm and sunny day, so perhaps the new lake will soon start to drain faster than it is refilled. The cricket team, with their first fixture scheduled for April, will certainly be hoping so.